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Rise of Incarnates beta causes carnage next week
Bandai Namco will begin a closed beta period next Friday for Rise of Incarnates, the two-on-two fighting game from the Tekken and Soul Calibur creators. Those in Europe and Australasia can get in the testing phase by signing up on the game's official website. The doors to the beta program open at 9:00 a.m. CET (8:00 a.m. UTC) on Friday, August 8. It will last ten full days, ending at the same time on Monday, August 18. Announced in April alongside its initial alpha program, Rise of Incarnates is a free-to-play PC fighting game that features humans with god-like powers battling in mostly-destroyed, yet real-life locales. The beta will include New York City and Paris-based levels that allow players to use the environment to their competitive advantage. The program's limited character roster starts with four fighters: Mephistopheles, Lilith, Grim Reaper and Ares. The fifth playable character, Brynhildr, is expected to join the roster on August 13, along with the Paris level.
Watch the Steam Controller play more than a dozen games
YouTube channel Trial By Game issued a slew of Steam Machines and Steam Controller videos in the last week. Using its prototype hardware, the channel delivered 23 related videos to date, many of which show the Steam Controller in action with games like Surgeon Simulator 2013, Metro: Last Light, Civilization 5, Bastion and Super Street Fighter 4. We included a few more of the channel's videos after the break. Valve announced its hardware and accompanying operating system in September prior to kicking off the selection process for its 300-person hardware beta program, which Trial By Game seems to be a part of. Valve created its own video to demonstrate the Steam Controller in October, but as with Trial By Game's looks at the game pad, the controller shown isn't final hardware. The Steam Controller's final form will feature a touchscreen between its circular trackpads.
Starbound beta starts today
Starbound developer Chucklefish began sending out beta keys for the PC, Mac and Linux game today. Those who backed the space-faring exploration game should see a Steam key in their inboxes momentarily, and the developer says a direct download version of the game will be available "as soon as we are able to efficiently provide it." The Terraria-like game's official site reveals that over $2.6 million was raised by 124,176 backers in the developer's ongoing crowdfunding efforts. Starbound features procedurally-generated worlds in which players must gather supplies to take on quests. The "story in a sandbox" game received a new trailer to commemorate the launch of its beta version, which features some of its side-scrolling action.
Frozen Endzone beta begins December 5, takes the field in new trailer
The beta program for Mode 7 Games' Frozen Endzone will launch this Thursday, December 5. The turn-based strategy game, first announced in March, has players moving their players across a futuristic field in a game similar to American football. Our brief time with the game found apt comparisons to the developer's previous strategy game, Frozen Synapse, particularly in regards to the depth of Frozen Endzone's tactics. Mode 7 Games also offered up a new trailer for the strategic football game, which introduces the game and the developer's beta program. Frozen Endzone was greenlit by Valve along with 19 other games in April, granting the game distribution on Steam for Mac, PC and Linux in 2014.
Destiny of Spirits global beta starts October 24
Q Entertainment's monster-collecting Vita game Destiny of Spirits will enter a beta test phase on October 24. The free-to-play RPG has players engaging in turn-based combat with their upgradable minions, which players can trade or lend to others. The game encourages players to bring their Vitas with them while traveling, as the system's location-tracking tech is used to unlock spirits with every trip. The global beta program, which allows players to collect every spirit and access every location in the Destiny of Spirits, will end November 1.
Steam Machines beta program includes controller, sans touchscreen
The 300 individuals selected for Valve's Steam Machines hardware beta program will receive one of Valve's fancy new controllers as well. Along with the controller announcement today, Valve specified how the beta program controller will differ from the final version. The controller will not include the clickable touchscreen in the center, which will be replaced with four buttons. Additionally, the beta program controller will require a USB cable instead of being wireless. It's a small sacrifice the chosen 300 will have to make, but at least they'll have their hands on the first Valve-created Steam Boxes. We're still calling them that, right?
Valve's Steam Machines beta hints at new controller
With two of Valve's three big "living room" announcements already in the books, there's a chance that the third one, due Friday, revolves around a controller for its SteamOS-based Steam Machines hardware. Among the hardware's beta program eligibility forms is an agreement all beta testers must abide by, which states that Valve "has developed and produced prototypes of entertainment system hardware and software, including a set-top box running custom software and a game controller." Valve's Steam Machines FAQ also addresses the hardware's to-be-revealed controller, noting that the hardware's various forms will be compatible with mouse and keyboard controls, and that the company will "have some more to say very soon on the topic of input." Now that we know the Steam Machines' controller exists, we can start cooking up predictions on what it will look like. Our guess: It will have three analog joysticks.
Steam Machines' 'Eligibility Quest' offers beta program to lucky few
Along with the announcement of its Steam Machines hardware today, Valve pulled back the curtains on a related beta program. The program will grant 300 lucky testers access to prototype hardware for free. In order to be eligible for the program, players must first join the Steam Universe community group, agree to the beta program terms, obtain ten friends on Steam if they haven't already, create a public Steam profile and play any game in Big Picture mode. Valve says the steps can be performed in any order, and your eligibility status can be tracked online at any time on your "quest page." The eligibility list locks on October 25. Update: Valve's final announcement, made on Friday, is the Steam Controller.
OnLive goes OnBeta, wants you to help by playing games
Can we find some charitable souls amongst our readers? If you're the sort of person who'll give up his or her valuable time to a worthwhile cause that demands hours of daily gaming, far less showering and more meals based around the expansive Frito-Lay product line, OnLive will most certainly want to hear from you. Beta testing of the nascent game streaming service has just been opened up to the masses, and the quick and deadly among you will already be signing up via the read link below. Just to make sure we've conveyed this accurately -- there's a company out there that wants to stream free games to your TV, so tell us, why exactly are you still here reading? [Via Joystiq]
